Molly's Game

Molly's Game, 2017
Directed by Aaron Sorkin

I have to say, I'm a pretty big Sorkin fan. I mean, I still haven't gotten around to seeing The West Wing (I know, I know), but I've been a huge fan of his movies and his TV show The Newsroom. I love the wordiness of his scripts and the intelligence of them. You can tell Sorkin really gets into the subject of his material. And the same is true for his directorial debut, which he also wrote.

Molly's Game is the story of an Olympic class skier turned office assistant/waitress turned runner of high stakes poker games. Molly Bloom is arrested by the FBI several years after she finished running the games and now the government wants her to spill the secrets on the players (who she won't name). Her players included Hollywood A-listers, sports stars, business men and members of the Russian Mob.

I was really eager though a little cautious when I heard Jessica Chastain would be starring in Aaron Sorkin's directorial debut. I mean, if there was anyone who could handle a Sorkin script, it'd be Jessica Chastain. I was just slightly nervous about Sorkin going into directing. I didn't want another Wally Pfister/Transcendence to happen. However, Molly's Game is a well-made, well-written film that is sharp and smart. Jessica Chastain is fierce as Molly Bloom and she was absolutely the right choice for her.

The Story, which is also a true story, is interesting. Details have leaked all over (that Ben Affleck, Tobey Maguire and Alexander Rodrigues were all regulars at her games), however the story kept things a little more anonymous. Somehow, someone thought to cast Michael Cera was one of the films villains (a Hollywood star who gets upset with how Molly runs her games and how large her tips are and threatens to end her), but weirdly I kind of loved it. (Rumor has it his character, which was called "Player X" in the film, is supposed to be based on Tobey Maguire, though Sorkin himself denies this).

This is a film that is very smart and it deserves more recognition than it's getting. Jessica Chastain does some great work here and Idris Elba (playing Molly's attorney) is also solid. However, it seems this film will not get much awards recognition aside from the screenplay category (though Chastain was nominated at the Globes she won't likely be nominated for an Oscar but she's in a close 6th or 7th).

8.5/10